Matagorda County, Texas
More than double the national median for uninsured rate.
Main Findings
Matagorda County, Texas ranks 354th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 18% of residents lack health insurance — more than double the national median of 8%.
- 354th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Serious zone, 49th in Texas.
- 18% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 94th percentile nationally.
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 28% — national median 18%, ranked at the 96th percentile.
- Child poverty rate at 26% — national median 18%, ranked at the 83rd percentile.
- House price change (yoy) at 1% — national median 4%, ranked at the 78th percentile.
Unemployment is 6%, near the national median of 4%, while uninsured rate runs at the 94th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
"The distress in Matagorda County reads as a credit story — household balance sheets carrying debt that's grown faster than incomes can absorb. Housing pressure compounds it; job loss is rarely the trigger."
"Serious-zone counties are where consumer credit distress accumulates while the labor market still reads stable. The cost curve — housing, health, financing — runs faster than wage growth can absorb."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Matagorda County's wage-to-rent ratio indicator is at the 10th percentile — while every other indicator in the Economic Vitality domain sits at or above the 60th percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Bay City.
The Indicators Behind Matagorda County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Matagorda County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Matagorda | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 80 · Rank 453 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 38% | 35% | 23% | 90th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 5% | 9% | 4% | 65th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 7% | 5% | 60th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 7% | 5% | 83rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 18% | 17% | 8% | 94th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 36% | 32% | 23% | 89th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 85 · Rank 244 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 49% | 37% | 38% | 90th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 28% | 17% | 18% | 96th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 24% | 23% | 24% | 47th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 69% | 74% | 74% | 75th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 67 · Rank 842 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 4% | 4% | 78th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 15% | 14% | 78th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 0.98× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 57th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 22% | 18% | 83rd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 17% | 16% | 16% | 61st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 29% | 26% | 27% | 59th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 9 · Rank 2,875 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 47 | 78 | 126 | 9th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 42 · Rank 2,015 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 4.9× | 4.1× | 4.0× | 10th | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 73rd | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 9.2 | 10.5 | 10.0 | 60th | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 1% | 2% | 4% | 78th | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Matagorda County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 157-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BAY CITY, Texas — Matagorda County ranks 354th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 71 out of 100 places Matagorda in the "Serious" zone. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 353 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Matagorda ranks 49th of 254 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies consumer credit distress as the primary driver in Matagorda. 18% of residents lack health insurance — more than double the national median of 8%.
"The distress in Matagorda County reads as a credit story — household balance sheets carrying debt that's grown faster than incomes can absorb. Housing pressure compounds it; job loss is rarely the trigger," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
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